SMS Group Realized an E-Scrap Recycling Plant for Precious Metals in Russia
Following a multi-month commissioning phase, SMS group has handed over a greenfield recycling plant for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to Aurus in Mtsensk, Russia, a company of Ecopolis Corporation.
According to the German-based plant supplier to the metallurgical industry for steel, aluminum, copper and metals, “the facility is the first of its kind in the world”. Using a combination of pyro- and hydrometallurgical processes, it would recover high-purity copper, nickel, gold, silver and platinum at very high rates. The facility “is designed for an annual recycling capacity of 6,000 tons of WEEE and 10,000 tons of copper scrap”. Ecopolis Corporation is the only operator of WEEE recycling plants in Russia. SMS group is convinced that it represents an important milestone both in terms of recycling technology and for the global recycling industry. In 2017, the engineering firm had received the order for the development of this plant. The supply scope included the top blown rotary converter (TBRC), an anode refining furnace, the casting wheel, the refining electrolyzer, the precious metals plant and a dedusting system. In addition to the supply of all core components, long-term service agreements were concluded to optimize the plant availability.
Process flows of the BlueMetals e-scrap recycling plant supplied by SMS group to Aurus (Graphic: SMS group)
As stated by SMS group, today, more than 45 million tons of electronic scrap have accumulated worldwide. The recycling market in this field was growing continuously. “As part of a global innovation initiative, SMS has expanded its group activities to provide holistic solutions for the recycling of non-ferrous metals.”
Under its “BlueMetals” banner, SMS designs and manufactures recycling facilities for processing between 1,000 and 120,000 tons of waste electrical and electronic equipment of different qualities per year.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2021, Page 18, Graphic: SMS group)
